Copyright (c) 2009 Berkeley Electronic Press All rights reserved. http://www.bepress.com/ijnes Recent documents in International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship en-us Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:36:24 PDT 3600 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art21 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art21 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:35:45 PDT Many undergraduate baccalaureate nursing programs incorporate clinical emersion courses at the end of the program. Nursing capstone courses have become increasingly important in facilitating student transition into practice. However, little is known regarding the overall effectiveness of this teaching model for students, nursing programs, and clinical agencies. Previous studies revealed conflicting results about the benefits of a senior level precepted clinical experience. In this multi-method study, the authors examined student learning outcomes, perceptions, employment choice and retention following implementation of a new capstone nursing course. Results of this study indicated that a capstone course does not necessarily significantly improve scores on achievement exams or NCLEX RN first time pass rates. Nevertheless, qualitative content analysis revealed the following themes: integration, autonomy, confidence, authority, and advocacy consistent with a perceived enhanced competence in the nursing role. Data indicated that graduates often seek employment and remain at their capstone site or within their capstone specialty. Lisa Rebeschi Nursing Education http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art20 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art20 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:09:55 PDT More sessional clinical educators are being employed in educational institutions today than ever before. Also identified in the literature are issues affecting sessional clinical educators' ability to develop and maintain educator competency. Using the definition of educator competency by the National League for Nursing (NLN 2005a), explored in this paper are ways of increasing sessional clinical educator competency, such as orientation and mentorship programs to support student learning in clinical environments. Approaches in the form of theoretical models designed to evaluate clinical educator competency are examined. A new Sessional Clinical Educator Competency (SCEC) Framework is offered to provide direction for implementing strategies to develop and evaluate sessional clinical educator competency. Suggested is that the SCEC framework could be useful for educational administrators and sessional clinical educators to assess clinical educator competency. Cathy P. Robinson Clinical Nursing Education http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art19 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art19 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:22:00 PDT The aim of this study was to provide nursing students with an experiential learning opportunity which simulated living with the challenge of voice hearing. The purpose was to access understanding and insights of nursing students who completed "Hearing Voices that are Distressing: A Training Experience and Simulation for Students" (Deegan, 1996). Using a narrative research design and a convenience sample of 27 nursing students, participants were asked to respond in written format to three open ended prompts immediately following their participation in the simulation. Data generated was subjected to a thematic content analysis using a manual cut and paste approach to inductively find meanings and insights elicited from the respondents' actual words. Affirmed in this study was the use of this teaching tool to assist the students in their understanding of the challenges posed by voice hearing. Jane E. Hamilton Wilson mental health nursing education http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art18 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art18 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:04:32 PDT The evolution of Canadian nursing curricula has mutually influenced and reflected nursing's historical course: nursing practice and education are inextricably linked. This paper is a critical retrospective analysis of the evolution of nursing curricula in Canada from the 20th century to the present. Falk Rafael's (1996) dialectic exploration of power and caring in nursing guides the analysis. An ordered, assimilated, and empowered curriculum development framework results. Foucault's (1980) work in the sociology of knowledge and Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarule's (1986) epistemological conceptualization of women's knowledge development are incorporated. The intricacies of the relationship between nursing curriculum development and Canadian history, the navigation of societal paradoxes that mutually drive and inform education and practice, and the instrumental need for nursing education research are considered. A fourth and new dialectic layer is suggested that places nursing on the inter-professional team of architects of a co-constructed emancipatory curriculum. Susan E. Anthony power caring nursing curriculum http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art17 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art17 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:23:39 PDT Societal change historically has presented many challenges for nursing. The challenge to nurse educators is to ensure that professional education remains relevant and keeps abreast of both societal and healthcare changes. These challenges include globalization, changing patient characteristics, science and information technology advancements, the increasing complexities of healthcare, and recent policy and economic developments. The aim of this paper is to consider possible future societal and healthcare changes and how these may impact the preparation of future graduates in general nursing. A clear understanding of these factors is essential if nursing is to meet the challenges presented by tomorrow's healthcare environment within a global context. Josephine Hegarty Nurse Education http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art16 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art16 Thu, 07 May 2009 13:19:21 PDT The purpose of this systematic analysis of nursing simulation literature between 2000 -2007 was to determine how learning theory was used to design and assess learning that occurs in simulations. Out of the 120 articles in which designing nursing simulations was reported, 16 referenced learning or developmental theory as the basis of how and why they set up the simulation. Of the 16 articles that used a learning type of foundation, only two considered learning as a cognitive task. More research is needed that investigates the efficacy of simulation for improving student learning. The study concludes that most nursing faculty approach simulation from a teaching paradigm rather than a learning paradigm. For simulation to foster student learning there must be a fundamental shift from a teaching paradigm to a learning paradigm and a foundational learning theory to design and evaluate simulation should be used. Examples of how to match simulation with learning theory are included. Joanna Kaakinen Nursing education http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art15 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art15 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:35:45 PDT This article describes the renewal of a baccalaureate program in nursing. This new program was developed to respond to new challenges presented to the profession. A completely new approach was adopted, the competency-based approach (CBA), with a constructivist, holistic foundation that we named 'second generation CBA.' The CBA theoretical underpinnings are presented, as well as the structure and the content of the program with a special focus on the teaching and learning strategies. A course on health illustrates the approach. Although no rigorous evaluation has been held, comments from students and teachers were collected during the implementation process. Assessment of students' competency levels remains an important issue. Johanne Goudreau Nursing education http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art14 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art14 Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:07:10 PDT Minority groups in the United States experience disparity in the health care services they receive and in their health related outcomes. Minority healthcare providers are more likely to serve minority under-served populations, thus addressing this healthcare disparity in an effective culturally competent manner (Robert Wood Johnson 2005; Sullivan, 2004). The purpose of the project was to increase the number of racial and ethnic minority students who are successfully recruited and admitted to the nursing program at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. The project involved the identification of perceived barriers to increased minority participation in nursing at the college, review of the literature to identify evidence-based interventions, and implementation of selected interventions to overcome the identified barriers. Implementation and evaluation are still on-going but showing early success. Amanda J. Barton Nursing Education http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art13 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art13 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:29:55 PDT In this descriptive study, graduates of a traditional baccalaureate nursing program were compared with graduates of an accelerated baccalaureate program at the same university between 1991 and 2006. A survey was sent to a random sample of two groups: traditional baccalaureate graduates and graduates of the accelerated program who had previous degrees in another major and completed the nursing curriculum in a shorter time frame than the traditional students, resulting in a total sample of 73 graduates. Outcome variables included demographics, NCLEX passing rates, transitioning to the professional role, employment, professional development, certifications and self-reported reasons the respondents entered the nursing profession and why they remained. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups on these variables. Results of a t-test revealed that the GPA of the accelerated group was significantly higher than the traditional group. Future considerations include the impact that accelerated program development may have on both the current and projected nursing shortage. Nadine M. Aktan curriculum http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art12 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art12 Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:47:20 PDT Nursing practice is intricate and multifaceted. It requires the application of current, health-related research. Nurses are expected to employ evidence-informed practice in making decisions about the clinical care of their clients. A journal club is one method that can help promote an increased awareness of research, educating students to critique and use research findings. In this descriptive pilot study, the use of a journal club was evaluated. University undergraduate nursing students (N=35) across three sites in eastern Canada participated. Although the results are limited, participants found the journal club sessions enjoyable and beneficial for helping them interpret research findings and apply research to clinical practice. More research directed at helping nursing students critique and apply research to nursing practice is warranted. Audrey Steenbeek nursing education journal club research critique